Monday, January 20, 2014

Baba Ganoush - eggplant dip

Baba ganoush, or Baba ganouj as it is also known as, is a Lebanese dip made from roasted eggplant and a few other ingredients. It is paired with chips, pita, tortilla chips, etc., and can be served as one of the starters when you have a group of friends over.

Prick the eggplant all over and then roast the eggplant in an oven at 200 degrees C. The eggplant can also be roasted on the stove top, to do this - rub oil all over the eggplant and hold over the fire. Use a pair of tongs to do this. Once the skin of the eggplant is charredm take it off the heat and let it cool. Then with the blunt side of a knife, brush off the charred skin from the eggplant.

Roughly mash the insides of the eggplant with the back of the fork. Add the eggplant, tahini, garlic, sesame seeds and lemon juice to a blending jar and blend till it is a smooth paste. Spoon this into a bowl and add the olive oil and red chilli flakes and mix. Serve with the chopped raw onions along with a bowl of pita chips.